A Bodily State
by NoelleInWonderland
Summary: 4 years have passed and the Teen Titans' bond has remained and grown. However, the thing that manifests within Beast Boy also remains and grows, and he has one thing in store for a certain violet haired team mate.
1. Sweating

A Bodily State

_Notes from the author: This is my first ever fanfic so reviews and constructive criticism are welcomed. Also BbxRae is my complete guilty pleasure and OTP so I couldn't resist haha. Rated M for later chapters._

Sweating

The Sun was everybody's nemesis that afternoon, the heat was its weapon and the humidity its side-kick. As the heat steamed through the tower, The Titans could not help but resent the design flaw of the open plan windows that welcomed the temperature with magnifying hospitality. The heroes clearly weren't alone during the onslaught of the heat wave as the alarm had not sounded once; the villains were also melting somewhere out there.

On the couch, the red hair of an alien girl clung to the metal of the part-man. Starfire had hoped to find chill from Cyborg's shoulder but was only greeted with a stinging warmth. She whimpered and glanced over to her masked lover who was furiously trying to power through the heat as he tapped away at his paperwork, the sweat which rolled across his brow proved his task to be a failing ordeal.

A few feet away from Robin the changeling had opened the fridge. His green chin propped up on the shelf and he nuzzled the cool carton of orange juice. He almost dribbled as he let out a sigh and through half-lidded eyes he stared at the fridge's light. Through sheer boredom and lethargy from the heat he began to close the fridge door slowly, keeping his face pressed in as he watched the light flick off before he nearly trapped his head in the appliance.

He slowly opened the door again to see the light flick back on. He continued this farce, for two whole minutes; a continuity of flitting on to off until Robin grabbed the door and slammed it shut. Beast Boy wasn't listening to him properly; his leader merely grumbled something along the lines of "Not today" and how he couldn't take both his antics and the heat at once.

* * *

Out of the double-door entrance, down the elevator and turning left across the hall, a sliding metal door separated Raven from the rest of the tower. She sat cross-legged a few feet above the ground. Her lavender eyes were concealed by her lids which glistened from sweat and her violet waves of hair were slicked on her forehead and neck.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos." Her mantra was soon becoming less of a relaxation but more of a desperate distraction from the heat, however, it continued to sear through the black chiffon of her curtains.

She descended from the air onto her feet and sighed. She ran her fingers through her hair, wiping the waves from her face. And reaching down to her indigo boots she unzipped them from her knees to her ankles and slid them off her feet, thus freeing her toes. She continued this action and removed her cloak, which was tossed onto her bed, soon followed by her leotard and belt. She sighed again, this time with relief and she slowly walked over to her dresser. From there she retrieved a black vest and a pair of pyjama shorts; they were blue and purple checked with a tiny trim of black lace.

After donning the new attire she slid her door open and retreated from her bedroom. She padded along the hall towards the bathroom which was conveniently placed on the same floor. Her mind was set on an ice cold soak in the tub and she felt a feeling of almost excitement.

Almost. Excitement.

* * *

Her pace quickened as she couldn't bear to be parted from the saviour that was the bathtub any longer and she swiveled into the room and shut the (already ajar) door behind her. Raven turned to the mirror cabinet which hung above the white porcelain sink and reached for one of Star's hair ties; it was fuchsia with glints of silver sparkles in it. Raven let out a low chuckle at how typically_Star_ the hair tie was. She pulled the long purple waves of hair up high and encased it in a pony tail; her neck was thankful for the relief.

Upon glancing behind her in the mirror, she noticed to her surprise that the bath was already filled. She span round on her heels and saw something moving in the water. On a closer look she saw it was a tiny fish, happily bobbing about in the icy water and revelling in the chill. It's face seemed content, as far as a fish's facial expression goes. It was a gold fish. However, it was not gold. It was emerald. Raven rolled her eyes.

"Beast Boy get out." She snapped. But the little fish carried on bobbing in the water.

She sighed again, this time it was sharper and more agitated.

"Beast Boy, you can turn into an animal that can withstand heat. I can't. Get out of the tub." Her eyes narrowed as she saw the fish look at her and clearly acknowledge her, but continued to swish in the liquid. He was tormenting her.

The corner of her mouth turned as she slightly smiled and narrow her eyes further. She reached her hand into the tub and plucked the little fish out by its tail. It began to flail and gasp in her hand but all she did was raise her eyebrows as though to say "Really?" However this struggle was not yet won.

The little green fish stopped floundering in her hand and simply looked back at her. Raven could have sworn she saw it smiling. Not a very friendly smile.

She was still leaning over the tub when it happened.

* * *

The fish began to grow, and it grew faster than she could react. Soon enough what once was a little goldfish in her hand was now a fairly tall, thankfully clothed, very heavy for one hand to hold 19 year old boy, which was weighing her down into a head first crash to the cold depths of the tub.

He laughed. She did not.

"Garfield! What the _fuck _even was that?! _Look _at what you've done!" She began frantically ringing at her vest top, which seemed pointless as she sat in the angrily swishing water in the tub. It was so freezing goosebumps soon appeared on her skin but the burning fire bubbled in her belly. She scowled at him.

He laughed between each word.

"Hey don't blame me I thought it was my job to tease you!" He held his hands up protesting, but his insistent laughter only brought him gasping over the edge of the bath. "Besides, you came here to get cooler right? Now you're cooler, feeling any better?" He cocked his eyebrow and flashed his fang at her.

She could only look at him with a mixture of horror and disbelief. "No, _shockingly_ I don't feel better at all." Her eyes were wide and her hands were shaking claws ready to throttle him. But she refrained and began to hastily clamber out of the bath. She was shivering as she folded her arms over her chest, attempting to cover her remaining dignity; the freezing water had taken effect on _certain _parts of her body. Beast Boy only smirked.

"Aww c'mon, Rae. You look good wet." He cocked his eyebrow for the second time.

"Ha. Ha. That's funny I was thinking the same way about you." She glared at him, her fact burning from embarrassment.

He could only raise his eyebrows "Oh. Really?"

"Yeah, yeah you'd look really great _drowned_." She spat the last word, turned away and grabbed a nearby towel and began to rouse her hair with it. When she had done she flicked her hair back dramatically, it was tousled and damp, as was her clothing. Beast Boy, unhurt by her last quip only watched in amusement, he relaxed with his hands behind his head. His clothes were also soaked and they clung to his body tightly. Raven ignored this.

* * *

Minutes later a black glow engulfed her bedroom door and with a slam she encased herself inside it. Her hair was still damp, her cheeks were still burning and her clothes still dripping.

This was becoming a daily routine; he'd flirt and prank and tease, and she'd either shoot him down or play along. It was more fun playing along. Some days it would be light fun. Today was not those sorts of days.


	2. Arousing

Arousing

It seemed as though the heat had spent the night and over stayed its welcome yet despite it Raven brought the kettle to a boil and began to brew her second cup that morning. Behind her, Beast Boy was frying some tofu eggs. He repeatedly shot glances at her as she squeezed the teabag with a spoon, his tooth poked out of his mouth as he mischievously grinned.

"So, Rave. Did you enjoy our little rendezvous yesterday?" The green boy sniggered and flipped over the tofu egg.

"Loved it." Her monotone was snippy but she did not turn to look at him. This only urged him further.

"Because, I was just wondering. The tub did make my shirt go see-through. How would you describe my _ahem_ physique? My hunkiness needs confirming by someone _smart_." He was teasing her on purpose, hoping to see a glimmer of annoyance from her. "I mean, to ask you bluntly, were you impressed?" He waggled his eyebrows then resumed to his tofu.

Something sparked inside her. It was an idea, the corner of her mouth began to twitch. But she kept her cool and through half-lidded eyes she slowly turned to him. "You know what?" She tip-toed a few steps toward him just until she was close enough to be behind his back. She put her hands on the counter top; trapping him. "I have to say Gar, on the subject of being impressed," She heard him gulp.

She rose on the balls of her feet until her lips could reach his ear and his nose caught scent of her peppermint tea breath. She whispered,

"I wasn't." Raven then swiftly retreated from him and picked up her tea from the island in the kitchen. She earned a nervous laugh from the changeling. Victory.

An amused snort could be heard from the couch in the living area, "1-0 Raven." Cyborg put it simply. Raven nodded and slightly smiled at her team mate, then left mug in hand to retire to her bedroom. The half-man, half-robot looked towards at his green best friend, folded his arms and recited the usual question: "C'mon, what did you do?"

By this time Beast Boy had finished frying his tofu and replied whilst dishing it out. "Okay, perhaps this one might have been pushing the boundaries a little. But still, she knows its all fun and games," He took a bite of his substitute eggs, "I mean, she made that clear just before and you just saw it." The chewing made his voice sound muffled.

"That may be true but remember how sensitive she can be, B. And you and I are both aware of that, remember?"

Beast Boy did remember and he shuddered at the thought of being near _that_ mirror again.

"I know what you should do and you know what you should do. So haul your ass over there already."

Sometimes Beast Boy hated how right Cy could be.

* * *

His knuckles rasped on her door and he exhaled impatiently. "Raven, I'm sorry I'm such an ass."

The door remained shut.

"Rae, I know you're in there, I can smell incense and lavender." The door began to slowly open until he saw lilac eyes through the darkness. Beast Boy beamed at her, he glanced into the background of her room and saw yesterday's shortie pyjamas hung out on her dresser to dry. His beam faded and he looked down at his feet, his green ears turned a slight darker shade through blushing. "Sorry about yesterday it was really dumb of me."

"No need. You can go now." Raven's monotone stung and she began to close the door. He stopped it with his foot.

"No really I am sorry. But that's just us right? We tease then get over it?" He tore his eyes away from his feet and glanced up to her.

She was sweaty, as sweaty as she was the other day. Her cami top stuck to her form. Dare he say, _curvaceous_ form. She had another pair of shorts on, this time they were black with purple polka-dots and had a tiny white lace trim. Raven's entire body glistened from sweat and her purple curls were neatly pulled back into a pony tail. He quickly looked away from her body and attempted to look her in the eye. Her shapely eyebrows were raised and a pale shade of pink rose on her freckled cheeks. She was feeling exposed.

"But erm, anyway, just wanted to apologise." He rubbed the back of his head and swiftly swiveled to make an exit.

* * *

He was hot. And not hot in the sense that involved the heat wave. His neck burned along with his cheeks and pointed ears. He was hot enough to pant like the animal he was. He aggressively stroked his hair back and let out a deep exhale. Beast Boy turned to his full length mirror that stood in the corner of the room next to his desk. He took off his sticky shirt and for a while he just stared at himself.

Not out of vanity.

Not out of disgust.

He just stared for no reason whatsoever. As though the reflection were to tell him something of great importance.

He lay on the bottom bunk of his bed and stared at the mattress above him. He felt a mixture of confusion and denial yet his mind kept flitting to the way Raven _smelled_ that day. Like when she whispered in his ear, the refreshing scent of peppermint was hypnotic. And the fact that she would always smell of lavender without fail. But the scent that he could not get off his mind was the smell of her during the heat wave, the fragrance of heat on _every inch_ of her body was enough to drive his animal senses wild. The tantalisation the scent gave him was more than a tease to his instinct.

He groaned and rolled to his side. There he cupped his mouth and scrunched his eyes. He mumbled into the pillow,

"Okay, she's fucking hot."


	3. Dreaming

Dreaming

"_Okay, she's fucking hot."_

* * *

That night Beast Boy could have sworn he saw his reflection's eyes changed.

He rolled over in his bed sheets, his back glazed with sweat. He weakly forced his eyes to open to check the time on his bedside docking station. 3:15am. _Shit_, he thought. His eyes darted to what was stealing his attention in the mirror. And lo behold, there was a silhouette. Beast Boy would have jumped except it seemed familiar; it was his silhouette.

He switched the lamp on.

He blinked repeatedly for a few seconds to let his eyes adjust to the light. There, in its naked glory, stood his reflection. Every inch of him was identical, except for the eyes. Where his usual emerald eyes usually twinkled, they were black and shrouded. And, despite the rest of him being precise to his own appearance, this doppelgänger stood fearsomely and oozed dominance. Definitely not Beast Boy.

"Hello, Garfield." He knew by the growling undertone of his voice.

"Beast." He greeted him with nod, but his narrowed eyes told this shadow he was unwelcome.

"She is _fucking hot_. Isn't she?" The Beast smirked evilly at his shell's reddening cheeks. "Now you have to listen here and listen really fucking well. That purple bitch isn't just your little flirt-thing any longer. I have much more mature plans for her, and you. Or more me within you. Don't look so surprised, Garfield you always subconsciously knew you and I needed to take a mate someday. Well I've chosen and _we're taking her_." Beast Boy had sat up by now, his eyes wide with disbelief, and his stomach sinking in disgust.

For a few moments Beast Boy stuttered , unable to de-scramble his mind or his words. "You mean to tell me... that you're going to make.. me make love... to Raven?!" He began to well up with tears but scrunched his eyes up to fight it. "No."

Beast Boy wasn't sure if the "No" was to The Beast or to his tears.

"Don't cry you pathetic insolence. Being a boy and a coward isn't going to get her wet." The Beast's lips curled at the thought. "And no, I don't want you to make love to her, or whatever girly idea you've conjured in your brain. I want you, I want us, to rut her like the animals we are." Beast Boy had heard enough, with beads of tears forming in his eyes he marched over to the mirror. He drew out his claws and with a great 'smash' he brought them down on the reflective glass. If only this stopped the vision.

The Beast remained in the mirror, its shattered pieces created a jagged and grotesque appearance now a thousand of those shrouded eyes stared at the changeling.

"Don't you see how she flirts with you constantly? She wants to fuck." The mosaic of teeth laughed.

"You're wrong, just because a girl flirts with you, does not mean she's obligated to have sex with you. Now, _go away!_" A stream trickled down his cheeks and his bloody hands shook in anger and terror.

"Keep telling her crap like that and she'll be begging you for it. I can tell she's a stupid little girl who's into respect and shit. Couldn't you smell her in the bath the other day? The heat coming from between her legs screamed how much she wanted it." Beast Boy had noticed the scent, which is why he stayed in the bath in hopes that the water blurred his arousal. However, that didn't matter. There was no way he would defile his friend.

"It doesn't matter if you resist or not. If you're not _man _enough to get what you want then _I _can make you the man to get what you want. I can make you the man who _she_ wants. Together we will fuck like mates ought to fuck." The Beast noticed Gar's eye twitch at the denial of him being a man. "Oh, I see I have touched a nerve. However, it is the truth I speak. For you are not a man. You're not man enough to get what you want, not man enough to stop playing stupid little games and not man enough to take the mate I picked out for us." Beast Boy whispered for him to shut up. "Aww Daddy never taught you how to shave did he?" Another shut up. "Daddy never taught you how to shave, never taught you how to fuck." Shut up. "You're no man."

"_SHUT UP!_"

"I can't shut up. I'm you remember?" The many faces of The Beast smile evilly again. "Take her like a hound takes a bitch. Or I'll make you take her, myself."

* * *

That night Gar almost found it hard to sleep.

Almost.

* * *

He closed his eyes when The Beast became silent, and laid his head on his soon soaked pillow. He was crying. He rarely cried. Over the years Beast Boy had learned to grow numb to the little memories of his parents, The Doom Patrol and Terra. The Beast was right, Daddy hadn't taught him how to shave and it would have seemed that The Titans had raised him. He learned from his school boy errors with Terra; a girl. But Raven was a woman, a woman who should not be defiled.

The Beast broke past this numbness and hurt him. Hard. The worst thing he thought was that they were all from his own being. And with that said he knew deep down about his primal urges for a certain violet haired team-mate.

That night he dreamt of that certain team-mate.

* * *

She came for him through teleportation.

"Garfield." Her voice echoed eerily, she giggled as she clambered up his body and straddled his legs. She cooed his name once more and bent down to meet his lips with hers. He responded with a groan, tasting the peppermint tea from her lips. The kiss was slow and innocent, as though she were kissing for the first time, she was shy and smiled against his lips. Her parting mouth acted as invitation for him, his tongue flicked against hers. However, he kept his hands firmly at his sides, trying to resist touching her. That would push him over the edge.

"Raven," He whispered, "please."

She gently clasped his wrists and guided his hands to her hips, there he felt not the soft warmth he expected of her body, but sopping wet pyjamas. The same pyjamas she wore in the bath. He suddenly noticed she was freezing. He looked up at her face, which grew contorted and with a low growl whispered,

"Not man enough to stop playing stupid little games."


	4. Distressing

Distressing

Raven slept rather well that night.

The heat had calmed down sometime in the dark hours of the morning and her emotions, rage and passion who especially affected in the heat, began to purr in content at the revisit of cool night air. She rubbed her eyes when she awoke and trudged towards her closet and was greeted by the duplicate uniforms within, she pulled out the freshest one and began to drag the purple-blue leotard from up her legs and over her body. It tightly hugged each in and out her body shape made. She grabbed her gold and ruby belt and clipped it around so it loosely sat on the widest part her hips. Next came the purple-blue boots, flat for comfort of course but knee-high all the same. Finally she fastened her cloak by the ruby-red clasp and pulled her hood over her milky pale face. After this ordeal she turned to the mirror which sat on her dresser and rested her hands on her hips, inspecting her work. She sighed and retreated within her cloak. She made her way out of the door and arose from the ground, she then floated slowly towards the elevator.

* * *

Upon arrival at the living area she floated straight towards the kettle to make her first tea of the day. Reaching out for her jasmine tea-bags she took one and popped it in her favourite mug; it was blue with an intricate raven hand-painted on the side and next to the bird in white letters read _Happy birthday, love Starfire_. She received it two years ago for her 18th. It was a perfect gift from her best friend. She hummed in content as she breathed in the jasmine flavoured steam and surveyed the room to see the sight of Robin and Star sat on stools and sharing a plate of Cyborg's waffles, they were giggling among themselves. Raven chuckled at the sight of her usually stern leader _giggling_. Cy was behind her at the hob and was conjuring another batch of waffles, he was humming a tune. This melody became interrupted when he asked,

"Hey, Rae you want a waffle?" His voice was its usual loud and jolly tone.

"Just tea." She replied in her usual raspy monotone. Robin broke the giggling with his alien girlfriend and looked concerned.

"Better have something, Raven. I got a report of a possible sighting for Cinderblock this morning, I want the team to have their energy on high." Raven nodded at her leader and sipped her tea.

From the middle of the living room she saw the green hue of an arm rested on the arm of the sofa. Beast Boy was sheepishly peering from behind the head of the sofa, he looked anxious but it was clear he was staring straight at her. Once she caught his gaze he quickly span round to face the television again.

Weird.

However, it wasn't entirely strange. She did have a clue that it was Cyborg who sent him like a trooper to the barracks (her room) to apologise for the bath-tub scenario. And after that she knew exactly why he sped off so quickly from her. She rolled her eyes and thought,

_I guess he's a guy, and guys have hormones._

She was an empath after all so she wasn't totally naïve to not notice he was ogling her that night.

* * *

Beast Boy felt her the moment she floated in. He could smell her soft scent of lavender and as she descended from the air he felt prickles on his arms like tiny ice flakes were dusting over him. He isolated himself to the couch and ducked his head down low and hoped that the sofa would just swallow him up. He heard the tinkle of her mug being taken from the cupboard and the flick of a kettle being brought to a boil. Then he could smell the sweet fragrance of jasmine brewing.

He pulled his knees up to his chest and scrunched his eyes. _No way _he thought.

His pointed ears detected the quiet giggle of the happy couple sat eating breakfast. A low growl rumbled in the back of his throat. It wasn't fair that an alien and Batman's adopted son could be together with no complications. He dug his claws into the couch. The Beast's rage bubbled within. He heard the raspy mumbling of her voice and slowly peered around the couch to risk a glance.

There she was, clutching her tea and leaning against the counter tops next to Cyborg. The hues of her eyes were especially striking today, they practically sparkled. Beast Boy looked upon her face; he had always known how pale she was. It was Raven, being pale was a given. But today he noticed just how clean and fresh her skin appeared, she almost glowed as the sun beamed over her. She was slender yet curved in all the right places, especially her hips. _Child bearing hips_ The Beast chuckled inside of him, he shook the voice off. And her hair, her hair was the equivalent of - _Shit she caught me staring _he span back round to pretend to watch the TV. It wasn't even on._  
_

His cheeks burned and he was thankful his green skin sort of concealed it. Beast Boy fully understood The Beast's reason to choose Raven, but, The Beast was a part of him and Beast Boy was finding it particularly hard to wrap his head around why he as himself would choose Raven (let alone speak of her with such vulgarity).

He contemplated his animal instincts having need for a mate. But he was not completely an animal and he knew full well what Raven's attitude to mating with him would be. He hugged his knees tighter and whimpered.

* * *

However, now was not the time for meekness. The red lights blazed through the tower and a blurringly loud alarm rang in their ears. It broke Beast Boy's deep train of thought and barely made him jump, he turned to Robin for approval.

"Titans, GO!"


	5. Possessing

Possessing

It was typical of Cinderblock to have chosen a vacated building site to cause some damage. The Titans found him with a large column in his giant stone hands ready to play baseball with a scaffolding; this would result with tearing half the building down. The group was set up in a strategic formation their leader designed himself. Robin, Raven and Beast Boy used their abilities to tire the brute out and Starfire and Cyborg were the muscle to blast him with a finishing move. Simple.

Or it would have been.

Robin first swooped in and cascaded a few smoke bombs about the large villain to throw him off guard. Cinderblock's body cautiously attempted to remain motionless, his red eyes tried to survey the area which was completely covered in a grey fog. Raven then took the giant brick by surprise as she engulfed a large nearby truck with her familiar black glow, hurtling the vehicle into Cinderblock's chest. The monstrosity couldn't take the blow and tripped over onto his stone backside. Raven smiled slightly in approval.

It was then Starfire an Cyborg's turn; the alien held the metal man with ease as she flew in to blast Cinderblock with her starbolt eye-beams, the brute turned to see her scream at him.

"You will pay for the harm you have caused!" She fired another eye-beam and placed Cyborg down on the ground, who proceeded to blast him with his sonic canons.

Cinderblock's intelligence level was, to put it bluntly, low. Therefore it was easy for The Titans to confuse him with their interchanging hits, like a baby's confusion at the rattling of keys in its face. Raven would fly around the brute's head, making him spin around to try to pluck her from the air, meanwhile Robin was riding round on Beast Boy in horse form to tangle a wire around his feet. During this Starfire and Cyborg were doing the most damage with tactical blasts from behind. With all this the monster didn't know where to turn, it was quite comical.

Until it happened.

Cinderblock began to rage and lashed out at the closest thing to him; Raven. She was still flying round his head as a distraction when his great stone hand collided with her, knocking her into a nearby column and landing in a heap on the floor. When she crashed into the concrete a purple bruise soon began to form on the side of her face, she flinched upon lightly touching it. Cinderblock then picked her up again and threw her away like a shot-put.

Beast Boy saw the whole thing.

He morphed back from being a horse thus dropping Robin on the floor. He saw how flimsy Raven appeared as she took the hit. And how light she looked upon being tossed into the air. He forgot how well she could handle herself; a low growl began to rumble in his throat and a primal frenzy boiled over from within him. That was his mate. That monster had just hurt his mate.

* * *

The purple haired empath was hurtling through the air, she closed her eyes and whispered her mantra to compose herself and regain control over her flying. The bruise on her cheek stung, it would have to wait.

"Beast Boy! What are you doing?!" She heard the Boy Wonder yell from below, she looked down to see him alone and without the changeling. The latter Titan was soon racing towards Cinderblock in T-Rex form, he tail-whipped the brute. However, the dino must have miscalculated the direction of his tail as he not only knocked the villain, but Starfire, Cyborg _and _Raven too. This accident won Raven another bruise; purple, large and forming on her collarbone. She lay on her back, clenching her teeth out of pain and anger. The changeling morphed back into human form and bolted to the empath.

"Raven!" When he reached her he bent down low to her and cupped her sore cheek. He continued to babble, "Rae, I'm so sorry I just saw you get hurt then I got mad then I just sorta blacked out then I hurt you and I'm sorry." She put a finger to his lips.

"Beast Boy, apologise later, now get it together and _get back in formation_!" She wasn't quite finished lecturing him when she saw a colossal fist heading straight down on them. She enveloped both of them within a black glowing shield just in time, but Cinderblock was persistent. He continued to drive his fist down on the shield until Raven noticed small cracks appearing. A dark red trickle of blood escaped her nostril and began to curl around her lips; this only told Beast Boy how much strength she was putting into the force-field, and how much strength was deteriorating from her body. The small cracks in the shield were growing larger and Raven began to curdle a pained groan in her throat. He watched as her raised hands began to shake and her teeth clenched hard.

_Be a man_. He thought.

When the shield shattered Raven was down for the count and flat-out unconscious. Before Cinderblock's fist could crush them both Beast Boy managed to morph into a gorilla. He kept his grip on the stone hand whilst the thunder within his chest cracked and exploded and with a bellowing roar he threw the hand away, tearing large chunks of concrete from Cinderblock's knuckles. The brute would not hurt his mate again.

* * *

Before Cinderblock could retaliate to avenge his eroded knuckles a concerned Cy caught his attention with a blast from his sonic canon. "B. get her out of there and get her to safety! I'm not having a squashed Raven tonight!" He continued to blast him with the aid of Starfire's starbolts. Robin was now advancing up the creature's shoulder from the help of Starfire, ready to impale Cinderblock's neck with his staff.

"He's right Beast Boy get her to safety!" His leader barked. Beast Boy detected annoyance in his voice, this only meant he was destined for a stern talk about strategies and the consequences of breaking them. Nonetheless, the changeling morphed into a pterodactyl, scooped up the unconscious Titan and flew back to the tower.

* * *

The tower's infirmary creeped Beast Boy out.

In the middle of the room lay a bed with pristine white sheets made of that uncomfortable material all hospital beds have. Above the bed was a dim light which made all of the metal floors and metal cabinets shine when it was switched on. Upon the cabinets sat multiple doctor's tools each having their own unpleasant vibe about them, these were tools Cy had told Beast Boy not to touch. He had Raven lie down on the bed, she was still unconscious and the blood that escape her nose had soon dried to a red-brown crust. Beast Boy winced at it and licked his thumb to rub it away. She awoke at this.

"What were you doing?" This took him aback. He felt a strange sense of fear although he did not fear Raven, he feared _him_. The Beast within. He did not know what he was capable of and to be frank Beast Boy did not want to find out. And since he was alone with Raven in a room with a bed he thought it best to back away to the corner of the room, as far away from her as possible. From the corner of the room he finally replied.

"I was just... wiping the blood." His voice was shaky and he twiddled his thumbs in attempt to compose himself.

"No, I meant what were you doing during the fight?" She sat up on the bed and folded her arms, grunting at the sharp twinge her collarbone felt. He did not answer her, he merely looked at her sheepishly, the way he scrunched his face made him look pained. "There's something wrong isn't there?" She raised one eyebrow.

He replied almost too quickly and blurted out an impulsive "No!"

"Empath, Gar. I know these things." She tapped her forehead with her forefinger twice. He just looked at her. "I sense a deeply embedded rage within you. Of course there's something wrong." Her smirk began to match her raised eyebrow. She knew exactly how he ticked. At least, she thought she did.

He looked up at the sound of her saying his name, he always liked it when she said his real name. Except for this time. This time he just felt guilty.

"It's too complicated to say," He forced the words out, "I don't wanna talk about it."

"And I don't wanna have to sit here all night waiting for you to spill. So spill." Her arms crossed and her monotone was sterner that usual. She tried to soften her face, "You know you can talk to me, Gar. It's not like I won't understand why you're suppressing emotions" She was right and Gar hated it. He winced one more time and dragged his gaze towards her.

"Okay. Here goes." His sigh was deep and laced with dread.

* * *

_Notes from the author: Okayyyyyy so I hate writing fight scenes I'm terrible at them! But I promise the next few chapter will contain some BBxRaven one on one time okay? Thanks for reading hope you're enjoying so far :-)_


	6. Angering

Angering

Beast Boy had expected as much from her reaction. He began to explain about The Beast and her last encounter with him when he protected her from Adonis. He attempted to gently word the connection The Beast must have felt towards her, and how this feeling of connection has matured with Beast Boy's hormones and animal instinct. Slowly, but surely, Raven's inquisitive facial expression began to decrease until she simply stared blankly at him. She even unfolded her arms to keep herself propped up when undergoing shock. He explained the visit The Beast made to him the night before and how the manifestation gets stronger the more it yearns. For her. He then explained the primal rush he felt when seeing her get hurt during the fight, she rolled her eyes at this point.

Raven was never the sort of girl who wanted protection from anyone. And she definitely did not want this guardian that had decided to pine for her. The whole idea of her being a damsel in distress made her cringe, and why not? She was strong, she was a girl and strong, she was a reclusive girl and strong. She wanted to keep it that way. The idea of a primal manifestation wanting to tend to all of her needs, whether it be a tissue for when she sneezed, a bandage for when she got hurt... or a body for when she felt urges. It made her feel helpless and weak.

"So, it would seem The Beast has claimed me." She slumped a bit in the bed, she looked down to her lap, embarrassed.

"Y-yeah." Beast Boy was equally embarrassed, he also looked down. There was a moment of silence. A _painfully_ awkward silence.

"T-to bone me?" She shuddered at the vulgarity.

"Yes." He also shuddered, he could feel warmth in his cheeks.

"Classy." She said the word with a huff because she was filtering a nervous laugh. This quip hurt Beast Boy a bit; he didn't want to believe what was happening just as much as she. Except _he_ was the one dealing with The Beast. She had the choice to deal with it.

"Well?" Beast Boy looked up at her, pleading silently for sympathy.

"Well what?" She looked up at him cynically. "You're not expecting me to just open my legs so you can stop getting nightmares are you?" This hurt him.

"_What? _No of course not, I wasn't going to if you didn't want to!"

"Because if you hadn't noticed Gar, this is us you're talking about. I'm sorry but you're just going to have to tell your little monster he can't have me." She swung her legs round from the bed and stood up. She made a step towards him.

"Yes, this is us I'm talking about, do you seriously think I'd do anything to fuck up whatever this weird relationship is? I may not be as smart as you but I'm not a complete idiot!" He stepped towards her. "And 'little monster'? I don't think you fully understand what torment _he_ is to me." He stepped towards her again.

There was a short pause, Raven just blinked in disbelief. She took away the remaining space between them by walking straight up to him.

"No Garfield, I don't know what torment he is to you. _I have absolutely no clue what it feels like to suppress demons inside me. Or have you completely forgotten about the realm inside my mind?!_" She huffed sharply. "Remember? The many fragments of my emotions?" She narrowed her eyes "I know exactly how you feel, Gar." She turned to leave, avoiding his eye contact.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her back.

There was another moments silence when he touched her hand, she turned round to look at his fingers intertwining with hers. Rae looked up to see Garfield's face. It was clearly burning hot but his gaze never tore away from the ground, he too afraid to look her in the eye. The feeling of his skin on her skin burned and tingled but he did not want to let go. _More_ he heard The Beast whisper. She pulled her hand away.

"I'm not some leg you can hump when it pleases you." Her eyes were daggers and she protectively held her hand away from him as she exited the room.

* * *

_"Did you not smell it? Did you not smell how much she ached for you? The burning stench that seeped from between her legs, how could you not sense it? She wanted you to take her the moment you gave her the image of you and her fucking. And all you did was hold her hand. Pathetic. She wants to be dominated and you're a simpering mess. A real man would have taken that woman and shown her how real of a lover they can be. Now let's see how much she wants you when she thinks of you as a hot mess with a fucked up imagination."_

"Shut up."

* * *

When Raven arrived at her room she manually pulled it to a sliding slam. With two hands she leaned against her dresser and stared into her mirror. The refection showed a frantic girl who was heavily panting from running with a cracked collarbone, her eyes were wide and her hair dishevelled. Her appearance reflected how she felt.

She slowly unfastened the clasp of her cloak and let it fall around her feet while she pulled at the neckline of her leotard to inspect her injury. It could be healed. She walked away from her mirror and sat down on the end of her double-bed. She closed her eyes and attempted to steady her breathing; not an easy task given the circumstances of what happened just minutes before.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos." With a crack and an "Ah!" her collarbone slipped back into place and both that bruise and the one on her face faded. She groaned heavily and collapsed on her bed. _Why me? _She thought and Raven rubbed her eyes in a frustrated fashion. After sitting up once more she glanced at a certain hand-mirror which rested on her bed-side table. She clambered over the bed to reach out for it and then, after crossing her legs she held it up to her face and closed her eyes. She repeated her mantra once more.

* * *

Upon entering the realm within her mind, Raven immediately began to call for certain emotion's attention. Knowledge, Happy and Love.

"No need to seek us, Raven. We were expectant of your arrival." The yellow cloak of Knowledge appeared to her first, Happy was giggling and dragging Love along behind her. "We are addressing the issue of your feelings towards the green one, yes?" Knowledge push up her glasses. Raven only replied with a hesitant nod.

"I think he's a cutie!" Happy giggled from behind Knowledge, who only rolled her eyes and adjusted her spectacles once more. "And have you not noticed how _strong_ he's gotten, Rae-Rae? His muscles are to _die_ for."

"Calm yourself, Happy. This is a serious matter," Knowledge gestured towards Love who was stood awkwardly to the side. "Step forth, Love. Say what you need to express." Love stepped towards Raven less than hastily, the emotion buried herself deep within her purple cloak.

"Y-you've been neglecting me for quite a while, Raven." the emotion continued to hide. "For five years exactly. The last time was with... him." The mention of the betrayer's name was not needed.

"I know." Raven did not know how to reply.

"This time, I hope not to feel the neglect that I usually feel." Raven's head snapped up at the mention of 'This time'. She frowned at Love.

"If you are saying I should just give in and fall into his arms then you are very much mistaken." Her voice was sharp which took the purple cloaked emotion aback. Raven, however, felt no remorse. "Perhaps I am close to Beast Boy and perhaps I can empathise with his having to suppress The Beast. _But empathy is not going to make me swoon!_ Is my love for my friends not enough for you?! Must I have to push myself any further?! _DO YOU NOT KNOW WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I PUSH MYSELF?! THINGS EXPLODE!_" By this point the emotion was beginning to cower behind Knowledge as though she were Timid.

"We are not asking you to give up your morals, we are asking you to consider what may bring his manifestation, and your emotions to a harmony." Knowledge left these words with Raven to mull over in her thoughts before disappearing with the a wide-eyed Happy and trembling Love at her sides.


	7. Considering

Considering

_"We are not asking you to give up your morals, we are asking you to consider what may bring his manifestation, and your emotions to a harmony."_

* * *

Beast Boy sat upon a stool in the main room, he rested his elbows on the island in the middle of the kitchen and in his hands he lay his head. His green hair had become entangled around his fingers and he had set his left knee off into a shaking fidget. He was frustrated. His right ear twitched at the sound of the doors sliding open to reveal who he had hoped to be a certain purple girl. It was the rest of the team; a bruised, battered and bushed team. Cyborg rubbed the back of his head, his weary eyes scrunched as he yawned and groaned and with a thump he landed on the sofa. Starfire was next to follow, she was too tired to fly so trudged through the entrance with a solemn expression.

"Beast Boy, would you please be so kind as to pour me a glass of the H2O?" She slumped on the island counter top. "Also, how is friend Raven? Is she recovered?" Beast Boy could feel a low growl in his throat.

"Yeah." Was his only reply. Robin entered the room. His face had earned a slice but the blood was drying, through his mask Beast Boy could just make out the sinking of his eyes from the exhaustion. However, this did not stop the caped leader from storming in, nostrils flared and heading straight towards the changeling.

"Please, in great detail, explain to me why you tampered with the formation I had planned for us." His green gloved fist slammed down on the island. "Because I'm going to be very pissed if there was no validity in putting your team at risk."

"I saw Raven get hurt."

"We're Titans, injury is within our job description." Robin was in no mood for sympathy.

"I saw her get hurt, and I don't know, I thought she needed help." Beast Boy had walked round to the cabinets now to fetch the exhausted Star a glass of water.

"Raven is an extremely strong and capable hero, and she can fly, she was in even less harm than when you infiltrated. I will not have her or any of the other's lives being put in harm's way when you decide you want to play at being the white knight." Starfire nodded from behind her boyfriend.

"I must agree with Robin, Beast Boy. It was most irrational." By this point the growling in the changeling's throat began to intensify and he felt the cabinet's handle weaken beneath his grip.

"I thought I was going to lose her." The Beast's rage was beginning to sear through.

"_She isn't yours to lose._"

Those were Robin's words right before the cabinet door was ripped off its hinges.

Starfire screamed, Cyborg cursed but Robin did not blink.

"You'll fix that in the morning before I send some paperwork for you to file as discipline. After that we can forget about this whole charade, but I'm suspending you from the next mission. I'll call help from The Titans East if it's needed. I hope I've made myself clear."

Beast Boy threw the cabinet door to the side, "Crystal."

* * *

It all seemed too soon enough by the time Raven returned from the realm. Her eyes snapped open at the quietest sound of the tiniest knock on the door. The knock was timid and slow. Her pulse quickened at the realisation of who stood on the other side.

"Go away, Beast Boy." But a knock was sounded again and the scorn in her eyes could have singed a hole in the door.

"Please, Rae. This is important." Gar's voice was meek and mild but Raven's scorn didn't budge an inch. She just knew he was pulling the puppy-dog look on the other side. It was a look she was very familiar with, usually enhanced in the form of a baby animal, but the trick would only ever turn Star into mush.

"It's too dangerous for you to be here. Are you stupid?"

"Ouch, Raven. I may be going through some disturbing _changes_ now but I still have feelings. Just come to the door? Please."

Raven rolled her eyes and slid off the end of her bed and headed towards the sliding door. She opened it just a crack. "What?" He could just make out the purple twinkle of her eyes in the shadows.

"I just wanted to apologise, truly. This time Cy or Robin hasn't put me up to this. Look, the last thing I wanna do is freak you out - "

"Are the others back?" She interrupted. He replied with a nod.

"They got back like five minutes ago, but they all went to bed pooped."

Raven rolled her eyes again and reached a hand out from the door, grabbed his arm and pulled him inside. She shut the door behind them. The empath proceeded to pace around the room, avoiding eye contact from him. She rubbed her chin and chewed her lip. "If we are to argue again I'd rather it be in privacy than causing a scene in the hall for the others to hear." She eventually stopped awkwardly shifting around the room, sat on the edge of her bed and anxiously brushed her lap as though it were dirty. "What did you want to say?"

He fidgeted with his hands for a while, he also stared at the grey carpet. "Well. Before. We touched." He braved a glance upwards. "And now. He wants more." He saw her eyes close for a while, she was processing the information. She was having difficulty. "I got angry before, I kinda broke a kitchen cabinet."

"Oh, Gar." She sounded like a disappointed mother.

"I don't know to what extent he's capable of. All I know is I need to calm him, one way or another. And it's completely up to you how that happens." He stepped towards her, picking at his nails to try to make himself feel more comfortable. "I don't wanna screw our friendship up, Rae. I get that you don't want me in _that way_ and I can completely understand why. But if you ever, er... _wanted__ to_... then it's totally up to you. Otherwise, I'm gonna do whatever I can to keep him tame." Another step was taken. "The ball's in your court. I'll go now."

He took his sweet time in moving towards the door, this was because deep down he secretly hoped for her to stop him.

* * *

_"We are not asking you to give up your morals, we are asking you to consider what may bring his manifestation, and your emotions to a harmony."_

* * *

He latched his fingers around the cool metal of the door handle and he began to pull it to the side. A soft, shy feeling began to press on his arm. Garfield looked round to see her delicate pale hands gingerly tugging him. His eyes widened and he looked up to face her. Raven's lips were rosy and quivering; her cheeks matched the same pale pinkness of her mouth and the lavender hues of her eyes seemed to be frantically searching in his green ones. He turned closer to her, so close his chest was brushing against hers.

"Rae, what are you doing?"

There was a pause and another huff and she pulled him closer by his arm.

"I'm trying."

He didn't have time to protest before her lips were on his. She was hesitant to lean in at first, as though she was almost scared of rejection. How could he reject her? Her hands moved from his arm and grasped his neck gently, pulling him down onto her welcoming lips. He responded with as much enthusiasm as he instantly began to grab and clutch at her back, he felt as though the tighter he held her the more real it felt. He inhaled heavily and her lips began to part, inviting him in. He earned a soft moan as his tongue flicked against hers. He growled softly in approval. Soon he had turned her around so her back pressed against the door, all the while she tangled her fingers through his hair and his hands continued to roam her back and stomach, the soft material of her leotard seemed to be more of an obstacle he wished to get past.

_CRASH_

Her bedside lamp had flown across the room, he was groaning and kissing along her neck when it happened.

"Stop."

He continued to splay soft kisses along the nape.

"Beast Boy stop it!" She pushed him back, he was panting as heavily as she. Their eyes were fixed upon each other, almost as if one was waiting for the other to pounce and resume. "I'm sorry. You have to leave."

True to his word, he simply nodded and bolted out the door so not to tempt The Beast any further.

* * *

He would be lying if he said he wasn't disappointed. He would be lying if he said he didn't want her that moment. It would be an even bigger lie if he said he didn't want more. She would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy it. She would be lying if she said she wasn't tempted. She would be telling the truth if she said she was scared.

Gar brought his hands up to his head and aggressively combed his hair with his fingers. He exhaled dramatically as his eyes still blinked in shock. On the other side of the door Raven gently touched her own lips with her fingers, still able to feel and taste him on her.


	8. Testing

Testing

The beeping of their communicators needn't have woke them for they weren't sleeping at all. That is, he lay alone in his bed tugging his hair and pinching and scratching at his skin; anything to distract from the roars deep within him. She lay alone in her bed flat on her back, hands rigid by her sides and staring up to the ceiling. They were both thinking of what occurred hours before. Nonetheless, the communicators demanded their attention with ceaseless blinking red lights and high-pitched beeps. Raven reached over to her bedside table and grasped the device, she squinted at the bright of the screen which seared through the dark. On the screen waited Robin, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

"Good morning, be down at the training room in ten." His voice was vigilant and disciplinary. She rubbed her eyes and looked towards her clock; 6:37 AM. She was able to squeeze out a 'sure thing' through her yawn. The training room, clearly exercise would be involved. Getting hot and sticky. Around him. _Eurgh._ She slid off her bed and made haste to her dresser, she gingerly picked up the sparkly fuchsia hair tie she had forgotten to return to Starfire and began to fasten her purple locks into it. A messy bun would suit exercise.

* * *

She smacked her lips together at the taste of minty toothpaste that lingered on her lips. Raven felt as though she needed to get rid of the taste of _him._ She sighed and floated towards the elevator and pushed the lowest floor button with her thumb. A green hand grabbed the doors before they fully shut and Beast Boy hurriedly entered the confined metal space, it was only after the doors closed he realised which team-mate was standing next to him.

He stared at his feet, his cheeks burning "Uh, hi." He glanced over to her, twiddling his index finger and thumb together nervously. "I, uh, your hair... it looks nice." He braved to look at her properly.

"Thanks." Her monotone was familiar but her heart was racing. The awkward elevator music would have made the situation comical but neither one of them dared to laugh.

"You know," A nervous chuckle escaped his throat, "I was kinda confused why Rob wanted us up so early, I thought he wanted me to do paperwork." Gar noticed her biting her lip. "You know, for the cupboard door." His feet shifted from under him. "Are we..."

She winced and clenched her fist before dragging her eyes up to meet his. "Are we okay?" Raven saw his fang poke out, it dug into his top lip almost as if it were a nervous bite, his eyes were wide and searching in hers. She could only force herself to give him a small smile.

"Yeah, Beast Boy. We're fine." Her hand brushed his reassuringly as the elevator doors opened with a _ping._ His tooth poked out once more, this time with a grin.

* * *

As they stepped into the training area they were greeted with their team-mates, stood in the middle was their leader who had his hands clasped behind his back and his brow furrowed. Beast Boy questioningly glanced at Raven, who only shrugged in return.

"Morning, team-mates." Robin began, "it has been brought to my attention from last night's incidents that we, some more than others, are in need of a disciplinary test." The masked leader turned to look at Cyborg who only solemnly nodded whilst sat at the control panel desk. "Cyborg and I have worked at this training exercise for a considerable amount of time and we believe after recent events this is the right time to bring it about." The leader turned to Cy again and nodded. "Cyborg, if you please."

The half-man half-robot stood up, as he walked his metal hand slid along the control panel. "Okay, guys. What you see here is the control desk to my latest invention, it's taken a good year to build and test but it's finally ready. What I've built is a device that will simulate opponents of choice, for example," The buttons on the desk lightly clicked as his cold metal fingers tapped at them, "if I wanted to build on my strength I'd get the simulator to produce a doppelgänger of Cinderblock or Mammoth, or even Bane. If I were Raven and I wanted to test my magic I could create a simulation of Jinx or Mumbo. If I wanted to better my speed, I could even simulate The Flash. Etcetera, etcetera." His ears pricked to the sound of a low giggle from the lips of a green changeling. "Remember, this isn't a toy. It's a battle simulator and my new baby. It's going to be taken care of nicely, this isn't some easy way to practice curb-stomping Gizmo's face isn't that right, Grass Stain?" The changeling's giggles cut off abruptly.

Raven could not help but let out one low giggle which she quickly attempted to conceal with a slap of a hand on the mouth, Beast Boy shot her a grin. She smiled.

Robin took centre-stage once more. "Right, Titans. I think you understand the drill. Today we're going to use the new simulator. However, due to last night's occurrence, I'm taking this opportunity to reinstate some discipline." His eyebrow raised as he saw Starfire shrug towards Raven. "It's clear to me we take our powers and skills for granted. Physical strength is not for breaking household property, telepathic powers is not for reading my mind to seek out my plans, _Raven._" The empath ducked in her cloak, earning another toothy grin from Beast Boy. "In this training exercise you will be matched with a compatible simulated opponent, however, their powers will be stripped from them. You will do the same. You're all decent at hand-to-hand combat and I expect that to shine today."

The leader's red-haired love floated towards him, her emerald eyes shone in innocent naivety. "Robin? You expect us to refrain from using our powers?" Her finger raised to curiously scratch her temple. The harshness of his face slowly began to crack under the pressure of her glistening green pools.

"It's necessary, Star. You've gotta trust me, it'll make us stronger." He cupped her face with his green gloved hand and gave her a smile, she beamed back in return. This tender moment was cut short at the sight of Beast Boy at the corner of his eye. The green one was imitating vomiting at the couple in attempt to make Raven laugh. "Beast Boy, you go first."


End file.
